A Mile in Your Flats

Runners sprint for the finish in the local competitive men's race at the 2012 NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile, where there are 60 heats of competition.

While the majority of the running world spends its time focused on how to cover 26.2 miles as quickly as possible, it's curious why more runners, especially seasoned ones, don't try to run just 1 mile as fast as they can.

As it turns out, more people are giving it a shot. In 1999 there were 330 road mile races in the U.S. Today, the tally is more than 600 such competitions, according to Running USA statistics.

"There's no doubt there are more people racing the mile," says Ryan Lamppa, media director at Running USA and co-founder of the Bring Back the Mile campaign. "It's part of the second running boom – every race distance has increased the number of finishers and the road mile is part of that."

So what's the attraction to the mile? For Lamppa, it's simply "America's distance."

"It's part of our nomenclature. Nothing against the metric system, but nobody asks 'What's your kilometer pace?' here," he says. "Part of the reason why we hold on to the mile is because it makes us American. It's like baseball and apple pie."

Patriotism aside, the mile is also the scariest race for many a road runner, even those who train at a high level. For starters, there's nowhere to hide in the road mile – it's a finite measurement of ability. There's an instant judgment of whether a time is fast or slow, no calculations required. Serious runners go into it with the understanding that the kind of pain they will feel is just as easily avoided at longer distances. Take one look at the finish line photos of the 2013 USA 1 Mile Road Championships at the Drake Relays, and there's little doubt that it hurts. Grimaces all around. Pro runners hunched over, trying to regain composure. The Grand Blue Mile, for a moment, looks a little green.

Road miles have become increasingly popular on the professional circuit, too. "I've been doing a lot of trial and error over the past two or three races, working on getting it right," it says Gabriele Anderson, who placed fifth at the championships this year and has a mile PR of 4:26.5. "They are exhilarating and challenging in a way that's much different. . . . I have grown to really enjoy the challenge, even though I have yet to perfect the art of racing a road mile."

Aaron Braun, who was runner-up at the USA 1 Mile Road Championships two years ago with a 4:01.2, says the shorter events, to most runners, are reminiscent of high school. Remember the gym teacher holding the watch by the track while 100 kids clamored for the Presidential Physical Fitness award? No wonder we harbor some anxiety.

"The feeling is so unfamiliar. Your legs are on fire and it's just a different kind of burn," Braun says. "But here's the thing. If it doesn't go well, you can do another one in a week. If a marathon doesn't go well, you have to wait months to give it another try. In the end, that's actually less pressure."

Here, then, are some tips for mastering the road mile from a few of the fastest in the country:

Fartlek. During training, Braun likes to get comfortable with the feeling of not knowing exactly where he is in the mile. On the track, distances are precise and workouts are, too. It's easier to judge pacing. On the road, athletes don't always know where the 200m mark is or when exactly there's a quarter to go, for example. To prepare for that lack of clarity, Braun does short fartlek ladder workouts starting with 1 minute "on" and working up to 3 minutes "on" and then back down, with short recovery between the intervals.

Garrett Heath, the 2013 U.S. road mile champion who won on a rainy, windy day in 4:02.79, says his training for the road takes different mental preparation. Like Braun, he bases workouts on effort instead of using the specific distance intervals he would on the track. An example would be 8 × 3 minutes, with 1 minute recovery between. "This is similar to doing 1Ks on the track, but doing it on the roads forces you to learn to pace yourself without the ability to check your watch every 100m," he says. "The short rest helps keep it more of a tempo-type effort, but also allows you to run a little faster overall and work on finding that rhythm again."

Analyze the course. Unlike tracks, road miles aren't all identical. Anderson, who trains with Team USA Minnesota, says planning for a sharp turn or a slight uphill is critical to achieving results. If the race is expected to be crowded, for example, you'll know where you want to be in the pack to best navigate the twists and grades. "In the road mile, the technical features of the course will be even more pronounced because the race is so short," she says. "Running the tangents will help you meet your goal; the small nuances of the course can make a big difference."

Braun agrees. Familiarity with the route is a big deal in the mile. "There's really no excuse to not know it well," he says. Fortunately, anybody can run the course (multiple times) before race day – or even as a warm-up on race day itself.

Have a plan. After you've checked out the course, find landmarks to correlate with the quarter, half and three-quarter marks, so you have some idea of the splits you'd like to hit at those points. Heath recommends spending some time visualizing the race in terms of those landmarks. Then, get off the line quickly to settle into a groove. "Road miles can often be crowded at the start," he says. "Finding a position where you can quickly get into your rhythm can be helpful."

Warm up. A lot. As most runners know (but many do not practice), the shorter the distance, the longer the warm-up. Heath takes about an hour to get ready for the gun at a road mile race. He jogs for up to 25 minutes, does some active stretching, completes some drills, and finishes off with strides right before race time to get his legs moving at his goal pace. If it's cold outside, he warms up longer. If it's hot, he cuts it down. "Either way, just finding a routine that you use at every race can be helpful in getting you in the right mindset," he says.

Lighten up. The typical lightweight trainers or marathon flats might not be the right answer for the mile. Anderson says she went through different shoes before finding the right ones for short, hard efforts on the pavement. While she – and most pros – know the kind of spikes they prefer to wear on the track, the choice wasn't so obvious for the road. She ended up with a racing flat that has the same fast feel as her track shoes, but without the spikes.

Use the crowd. The road mile usually pulls in more fans and spectators because it's easy to watch and, let's face it, often more entertaining than a marathon. Plus, most events set up several waves of competition based on age or ability (or both), so runners are able to watch other runners. Using the extra support on the sidelines can help athletes absorb the energy and pull through to unexpectedly speedy times. "Use it as motivation," Heath says. "The atmosphere at some of these events can be the best part."